Preliminary Reports

At about 11:05 MDT, a homebuilt RV-4 crashed while maneuvering about six miles northeast of Bayfield. The pilot and passenger were killed. A friend in another RV-4 said the two pilots had planned to go to Durango and back as a flight of two airplanes. He took off first, and the accident airplane departed shortly thereafter. During the return, he radioed the accident airplane but got no response. He circled back and found the wreckage of the second airplane. Several witnesses said the two airplanes were flying at low altitude, with the accident airplane lower. One witness said he saw the accident airplane perform a barrel roll, immediately followed by a vertical loop. A witness on the propert…

At 1733 CDT, a Swearingen SA-227-AC was substantially damaged when it landed gear-up at San Antonio International Airport. The instructor and commercial pilot student were not injured. The student was undergoing first officer training for the Swearingen SA-227-AC. The pilots stated that they were completing the last approach and landing for the flight. The instructor told the student to execute a no flap landing due to a simulated hydraulic pump failure. The student established the airplane on the approach and called for the Emergency Gear Extension Checklist. The instructor stated that the gear could not be extended until landing was assured. The landing gear was not extended. The stude…

At about 14:30 EST, a Cessna TR182 departed the runway during its takeoff roll at Haysfield Airport. The pilot and two passengers sustained minor injures. Tracks on the 2,400-foot grass runway indicate the airplane tracked down the centerline about 600 to 1,000 feet, then departed to the left, where the aircraft hit several trees. The pilot said he maneuvered the airplane to avoid two or three deer he saw enter the runway from the right….

At 14:06 PDT, United Airlines Boeing 737 encountered turbulence at FL270 near Santa Barbara, injuring one flight attendant seriously. Another flight attendant and 11 passengers sustained minor injuries. The flight had just leveled at FL270 and was crossing the San Marcus VOR when the turbulence was encountered. The aircraft was 10 miles in trail of the preceding aircraft on that route when the event occurred. No significant weather was forecast on the high altitude prognostic charts….

At 11:45 PDT, a Beech Bonanza struck an embankment during takeoff from a private grass strip near White Swan. The pilot and two passengers were seriously injured and a third passenger was killed. Witnesses said the ground roll and takeoff appeared normal but that the airplane did not climb more than about four feet. Investigators noted that the southern half of the 2,400-foot grass strip was moist and soft, while the north end half was firm and dry. The aircraft had begun the takeoff roll from the south end. One of the owners of the airstrip reported that the airstrip is watered frequently and cut once a week on Friday or Saturday. The accident occurred on a Thursday….

At about 11:53 EDT, a Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six crashed shortly after takeoff from Westerly State Airport. The pilot and two passengers died and two other passengers were seriously injured. The flight was a scheduled Part 135 flight to Block Island. Several witnesses heard the aircraft take off, and two reported the engine stopped abruptly before the Piper crashed about 200 feet from the departure end of the runway. Preliminary investigation revealed no reason for the apparent loss of power….

At about 03:25 EDT, a Beech B-90 King Air crashed on approach to Palm Beach International Airport. All eight occupants were killed. The flight had originated at 23:32 from Pontiac, Mich., enroute to Boca Raton, Fla. The flight plan called for a time enroute of five hours and listed fuel on board at six hours. At 03:14 the pilot made initial contact with the Palm Beach controllers and was told no weather information was available for Boca Raton. At 03:23 the pilot asked to land at PBI and was cleared from 6,000 feet to 1,500 feet. The pilot reported the airport in sight and was cleared for a visual approach. At 03:25:27, a radio transmission from the flight said, …Alpha Sierra, we need, ah…

At 18:30 EDT, a Mooney M20J lost power and crashed near Gainesville. The pilot and two passengers were killed. The flight had departed Atlanta and witnesses said the airplane was in level flight approximately 2,000 feet above the ground when the engine lost power, regained it, and possibly lost power again. The pilot apparently tried to stretch the glide to a paved road in a newly developed subdivision but stalled the airplane and spiraled nose-down into the ground about 200 feet short of the road….

At about 17:00 EST, an amateur-built Rocket II crashed into the Everglades after losing power. The pilot was killed and the passenger suffered serious injuries. The flight originated from Fort Lauderdale about 1:39 before the accident. The airplane was reported missing the next day and located that afternoon. The passenger stated they departed FLL at about 15:20. The final destination was Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, but the pilot decided to fly out over the Everglades and then return to FXE. They were flying in the vicinity of Willard Fish Camp at about 250 feet when the engine lost power. The pilot pulled back on the control stick to gain altitude and the airplane stalled. The injure…

At approximately 11:20 PST, a Piper PA-18-150 clipped a power line during an emergency landing on the Crowley Ranch. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he heard a loud pop and a fire started in the aircraft. The pilot elected to make an emergency landing in a nearby field, but clipped a power line while on final approach. This resulted in the aircraft landing hard and both main gear collapsing. After the pilot exited the aircraft, it was almost completely consumed by fire. The pilot reported that the aircrafts alternator had not been charging the battery for a couple of months and that he had taken it to a couple of shops that had not been able to solve the problem….